Are you all forgetting that most of the audience are poets or at a high enough intellectual level to understand meanings hidden behind words and/ or behavior. Excellent poem, keep on....
I think the audience did get the message. They are cheering him for the way he said it. I very much doubt they're all thinking, 'yeah, America is a great country and I'm soo happy I live here.
I love how the people who get this poem love this. And the people who blindly love america for anything and everything aren't smart enough to catch the sarcasm and still love this :D
I cant speak for the rest, since I dont know the first thing about them. But what makes you think you know what everyone else thinks? Do you really believe everyone but you takes everything John says literally? And just because you cant see why they love America doesnt mean they cant. My guess is you're the blind one.
@@AngryHybridApeMost people are genuinely moronic and jingoistic. Loving America is gross. Love your countrymen. I’m not an American. I’m just a person living in America.
Maybe HBO directed him to speak this one, but he's got so much more interesting stuff. "Frightened and Freezing", "Jesus Was Way Cool", "Sensitive Artist". And "Detachable Penis" just rocks.
This is on the king missile album Royal Lunch. It's better to hear the song with the music than to watch him do it onstage because the audience reacts as if he's a standup comic. And they're still laughing when he's talking about half the world works for pennies pennies a day to make us fat and rich. Not sure they understood.
Nobody else has international law either, it's not just America. I'm just happy that I was granted the right to an education and didn't grow up sewing dolls in a factory.
we are a republic..... but every where has its problems and it was a good poem about how our government and obviously some of our people think its great we can do whatever we want with no repercussions
this is absolutely right about america, it wants countries to fear it not to respect it. I wonder is it the greatest country in the world, not in my eyes.
I meant what most people think of poetry. Rhyming and prose and what have you, to a degree. But most people dont really get into the different kinds that make up the genre in the 1st place. They think it's all "roses are red, violets are blue".
there are two sides to this that most people aren't getting. 1. He is being very satirical about how Americans feel about their country. He is taking it to the max, which is how satire is done correctly, to show the incorrectness of such an attitude. 2. This is how a great percentage of Americans think about the world. That's the reason he can do this. Change to the British, French, or anyone else, and it falls flat. It works because it speaks the truth about how Americans really feel.
@@jersey8650 The fact that it exists at all is shameful. I know of no other country, even those who have been invaded or who have invaded other countries, that speak this way. Not since the beginning io WWII.
Im not saying it doesn't make a good point or that it isn't good in general... but it is more of a speech.. like beau sia's poems hardly rhyme but he performs them with such good delivery that it still gives a poetic feeling
I disagree. I think he was using this as an irreverent, satirical review of American policy around the world. The people are applauding because they agree in his description as well as in its overall absurdness on the international stage. This is what most Americans think in the back of their mind, and what many openly admit while pounding their chest and screaming, "USA, USA, USA."
that is how most of America feels but I feel differently which is why i FUCKING LOVE this poem! b/c America swear it can just fuck with other countries and shit won't happen. I mean hella American people are hella cocky and i mean we are well established country with VERY fucked up flaws and somebody is going to kick our ass!
& don't forget that America is a multicultural country with thousand of immigrant every year. No wonder why it the most powerful, & most technologically advanced country in the world, i will be surprised if it wasn't. So there isn't much to be proud off, period.
@mlkatzmd This is totally poetry. I don't know why you would say it wasn't, unless you have a very narrow definition of poetry. It doesn't have to rhyme, it doesn't even have to have a defined structure.
It just goes to show you that words truly have power. And how much they do offend others. Look at the comments below mine... Anywho, great poet that has performed on Def Jam Poetry.
0o0o and I forgot America is the last country in the world to recognize the reality that global warming is happening, and is the last to subside to alternative energies.
Patriotic folks who love America and think we can do no wrong, simply because it's America. I'm American and proud, but for my own reasons, none of these things that John S. Hall had clearly says in a sarcastic tone. Well most all, there's a lot of truth in this as well.
what`s better? the number of countries that even grant the rights given to anyone in america in the first ammendment are like nil in comparison to those who suppress the human rights we so vehemently champion.
@MercenarySlick We also owe France. As a matter of fact we owe them first. If you are going to reference American history don't leave out things. Remember they helped us fight of the British, they went through a revolution around the same time we did, and they are the one who sent us the statue of liberty (they have one to). Not to mention the founding fathers wanted us to be a Republic they never wanted a democracy EVER.
i dont even think he was happy at the audiences reaction at the end if you look carefully (2.08), not the reaction he want. but then again his audience are americans.
@LeftCoastLester Sarcastic or not it's true. And it's awesome and funny at the same especially if you've ever seen Hetalia. Either way America still kicks ass.
@MercenarySlick nope, we seem to doing fine when you guys had the recession. Don't worry about us. By the way, WE help'd you. When did we ever imitate you?
Not really what most call poetry. Just free, spoken word. He's making points. But I doubt most of the people got it. I think also the presentation(his voice pitch and mannerisms) kind of made them think that way instead of what he was aiming for.
hehe well i can honstely say i don't think this way. But i'm African American so because of my expirences here and history and such i don't brag about this place [:
what's satire?? sorry mu english isn't very good... sorry if i hav bad spelling.... :( does he feel this is a good thing or a bad thing... ( the guy that says america kicks ass )
+Quitta C I totally understand, QC,.....but this guy was in a '90's alt/grunge band called King Missile.....way more straight-forward comedy on the table as opposed to that depressing Seattle BS of the day...He's a New Yorker, went to slams for inspiration, I'm sure....not a real poet, probably wanted to write for Seinfeld or SNL.....I'm an unabashed fan of his band
